Recycling Dos and Don'ts

The many types of items and material that can be recycled are plastic, paper, glass, aluminum, steel, motor oil, batteries, tires, toxics like glues and paints, refrigerators and computer printers to name a few.

Glass will need to be separated out, colored glass from clear glass, ceramic glass from Pyrex glass, window glass from tableware etc. And no companies will pick up broken glass. Most glass that is recycled at curbside in your recycle bin is bottle glass. Other types may require a local recycle hauler to come to your home and pick it up.

There are many different kinds of plastic and they cannot be mixed. Plastics have a number code from 1-7, most curbside recycling bin will be #1, #2 and #5. #1 and #2 are the clear drink type plastic containers and #5 are the yogurt and cottage cheese container. The local company will pick up #5 but they won't recycle it. If you have a Wholefoods Market nearby, Preserve Products offers a pick up there for those. For the other plastic coded products call your local recycler to find out how to handle.

Make sure your paper recyclables are dry, wrapped in twine or in a paper bag, no plastic or other materials, especially in your newspaper, and drop it in your recycle bin. Recycle bin paper includes, newspapers, printer paper, cardboard and phone books. There are some papers that will not be accepted, food contaminated paper, wax paper, wax milk cartons, oiled paper to name a few, you get the idea.

The vast majority of aluminum for your recycle bin will be aluminum beverage containers. Make sure they are empty and clean. For other types of aluminum, check for the recycle symbol and if it is small enough to fit in your recycle bin, you should be covered.

For the other recyclables like motor oil, batteries, tires and toxics, the curbside recycling bin is not the place. And while it is critical to recycle these products properly, it is best to find a reputable hauler that you can trust to make sure they are recycled.